Presents and Pancakes
by prplemyth
Summary: Annabeth, even with Rachel's help, can't come up with a Christmas present for Percy. Percabeth. Shameless fluff. Oneshot.


_A/N: I have no idea what in the world this is. It is shameless Percabeth fluff mixed with shameless Christmas fluff and I was planning on doing this at some point but apparently "at some point" ended up being today._

_So yeah. I hope everyone likes this! Read, review and I mostly hope you enjoy!_

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><p>"What do you get boys for Christmas?" I asked Rachel, pacing around her bedroom. It was taking me a lot longer than I was used to when pacing in my own room, her bedroom being the size of my entire apartment, but I was making very quick work of it. "What am I supposed to get Percy?"<p>

"A brain?" Rachel suggested, grinning at me.

I rolled my eyes. "If I could have gotten him a brain," I laughed, "I would have done it years ago. Alas, his brain is going to have to come from him if it comes from anyone."

Rachel nodded. "So," she said, lounging on her bed and kicking her legs up on the wall, "got any ideas at all?"

I shrugged, sitting down on something that looked like a splatter painted foot rest. "I don't think he would want makeup or lotion," she said as she was bouncing a rubber ball against the wall, "so it looks like you're going to have to get creative. No buying those pre packaged things in the five dollar bin at Wal Mart for you."  
>"And to think I'm supposed to be the one to know how to do things in the relationship." I dropped my head into my hands. "I don't even have an idea!" I exclaimed. "I've never had to do this before. Last time I was anywhere near him for Christmas, the two of us were fourteen and trying to save the world, and trying to help Thalia get settled."<p>

Rachel turned to me and opened her mouth to say something, but then her jaw dropped. "Oh my gods, Annabeth," she began. "Um…You might want to, er, stand up."

"Why?" I asked, throwing my hands in the air. "It's not like the more vertical I get the better ideas I have."

Rachel frowned. "No, no," she said, "that's not it. You're just, um…You're sitting on the present I'm working on for the Big House."

I looked down. "Meaning?" I asked.

"That's got fresh paint all over it."

In a flash, I stood up, staring down at the classy buttprint I just made across the seat. "Rachel," I started in a calm voice, "please tell me my brand new jeans are not covered in blue, purple and yellow paint."

"Okay," said Rachel, wincing. "I'll keep that part of things a secret, then."

I threw myself face down on the paint stained, fluffy white carpet. "RACHEL," I groaned. "NOTHING IS GOING RIGHT."

"Well then feel comforted because nothing is going left either," she said, making stupid little guns with her fingers and shooting me a garish grin "Not funny?"

I lifted my head up and glared at her. "Not. Funny."

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><p>"So I was thinking," I said, fiddling with my fingers, "no gifts this year?"<p>

Percy looked startled. "Well, you don't have to get me anything," he said, pressing his lips to my hair, "but I'd been missing for nearly a year and you had to spend so much time trying to find me. You don't owe me anything, you've given me everything I could ask for." He pulled me into his lap, and I fit myself to connect with his body. Like two puzzle pieces, it seemed.

"And you've been here for me this whole time, fighting for me," I replied. "You remembered me throughout everything, and that's a present enough."

"Well I'm going to give you something," said Percy. "Please let me?"

I went to say no, but he began tickling me to the point of I couldn't reply with anything but hysterical laughter. "I will take that as a yes," said Percy, pulling me close and kissing me lightly again. "Love you."

"I'd…I'd love you more…" I gasped, trying to wiggle my way out of Percy's grasp, "love you more if you stopped tickling me – AHH!"

The conversation stopped as the tickle fight went on for the next few hours, until Mrs. Jackson walked in on Percy chasing me around the house with two pillows flying at his face.

We weren't good at indoor voices.

* * *

><p>"I didn't get him anything," I groaned into the phone, frowning to myself. "Rach, what do I get him?"<p>

"Get him a car."

"Har, har, har," I said, rolling my eyes. "We're seventeen. Neither of us can afford a car."

"Then buy him hotwheels!" exclaimed Rachel. "He'd love it."

"He wouldn't love anything like that, shut up, Rachel."

"Get him a coupon for you not talking for a day?" said Rachel. I could pretty much see the ridiculous smirk on her face.

"I hate you."

"No, ya don't."

"Yes I do."

"Of course you don't."

"I –" There was a knock on my door. "Uh oh," I said, "looks like he's here."

"Good luck, Miss Present Forgetter."

I groaned. "Ugh, remind me to punch you when I see you next."

I hung up the phone and dropped it on the bed, taking a deep breath before I went to get the door. I got up and walked to the door, opening it. "Hi, Percy, I –"

"Merry Christmas!" shouted Percy, tackling me into my kitchen table. I stumble a little bit and land with one hand gripping the chair next to me and another fisted in Percy's shirt.

"I think this qualifies," I groaned, pulling myself up, "as being overzealous."

"It's our first Christmas since I've been gone," he said, eyes bright and shining. "And I've missed you a lot and I have your present."

I blinked. "Percy it's ten days before Christmas. Isn't this a little early?" Of course he would go one extra step and get me the present before I could even come up with an idea. OF COURSE.

"Yes!" he said, smiling huge. It made me almost sad to reprimand him for bringing me a gift.

I frowned. "I told you no presents!" I exclaimed. "We weren't doing presents this year!"

"Too bad!" said Percy, grinning and pulling out a box from his back pocket. "Merry Christmas, Wise girl!"

I stared at the box in his hand. "You bought me jewelry?" I asked, oddly touched.

He smiled and opened it to reveal a necklace with three charms on it: a trident, an owl, and a heart in between them. I smiled.

"You goofball," I managed to whisper. "You absolute goofball."

"What?" he asked, looking down at it and frowning. "Do you not like it?"

I touched his cheek and smiled. "Yes, I hate it," I said, my tone oozing sarcasm. "I hate it more than anything. I hate it more than I hate you. And I hate everything about you and everything about the two of us, and I hate that necklace." I move in close to him. "And I hate doing this." I pressed my lips to his, getting a little bit lost for a few moments as the two of us lose ourselves in the kiss.

"I think," said Percy, pulling away, "that you were being sarcastic."

I nodded and smiled. "It seems I was."

"Can I put the necklace on you?" he asked, taking it out of its box. I nodded. He unclasped it and pushed my hair out of the way, hooking it around my neck, and pressing a kiss to my neck as he smoothed my hair back into place. I sighed at the touch, still surprised at how at home he makes me feel, no matter the time, no matter the place.

He pressed a kiss to my cheek. "You wear it well, Annabeth," he said quietly.

I smiled, brushing my hand over the gift and my Camp Halfblood necklace. "I love it." Suddenly, though, I began to feel like a terrible girlfriend. "Um, Percy?" I began. "I don't have a present for you."

He smiled and shrugged. "I know. You weren't supposed to get me anything! I didn't want a gift anyway. You're here with me and after all we've been through that's more than enough."

"Except you got me the only necklace I would actually wear," I said, running my fingers over the perfect, delicate charms, "because you somehow knew my jewelry taste. Without even asking me." I looked down at the gems, brushing my fingers over them again. "And I got you…What, air?"

"You got me…" He let go of my arms and looked around the kitchen briefly, then picked up something from the counter. "Pancake mix?"

I burst into laughter. "Sure, pancake mix. Merry Christmas?"

He grinned. "Want to put in green and red sprinkles?"

"Yeah," I laughed, "then we'll put in chocolate chips. Gourmet pancakes, and all," I said sarcastically.

"We can do chocolate chips," said Percy, going for the refrigerator. "That's cool with me. Where do you keep your sprinkles?"

I blinked. "I don't know how to cook pancakes," I said. "I thought you were kidding."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "You put the mix in with the wet ingredients and you're done."

I blinked again. "What?"

Percy burst into laughter. "Wait, are you telling me you don't know how to cook?"

I blushed. "Perhaps."

"You know everything though!" said Percy, brushing a lock of hair out of my face. "And you don't know how to cook?"

I shook my head. "No clue," I replied. "Dad tried to teach me when I was little and I couldn't even make toast without charring it. I was told to sit and watch instead of helping."

Percy grinned. "Fine," he said, "I will teach you how to make pancakes!"

"You're giving me another gift?" I asked. "No, cooking lessons are not allowed."

"Oh, come on, don't be silly," said Percy. "This will be like giving me a classic comedy special. Me teaching you how to do something? It'll be a sitcom."

I glared at him. "Not funny."

"Very funny."

"You're mean."

He leaned toward me, pressing a kiss to my nose. "You are adorable," he said, pulling me close. "Come on, let me help you cook."

"That's a terrible idea."

"No, come on, it'll be fun!"

I laughed "Yeah, sure," I groaned. "This'll be a good idea."

It was when I dropped the bowl all over myself after burning three pancakes that Percy gave up. "Okay," he said, clearly trying not to laugh hysterically at the pancake batter all over me. "So maybe you might not be able to cook."

"Might not?" I asked, giving up trying to get the pancake batter out of my hair. "Might not? My cooking ability is the level of your attention span."

Percy frowned, looking like a kicked puppy. "That was mean!" he said, bumping me with his hip.

"No it wasn't, I was making fun of myself." I shrugged. "And then I started making fun of you."

Percy sighed. "Okay, fine, you nerd," he said with a grin. "Then I have an idea."

"What?" I asked, confused.

Fast as lightning, he whipped out his camera from his back pocket and began taking pictures of me in my pancake-y glory.

"This!" he exclaimed. "This is the best Christmas present I could have gotten."

"You are deleting all of those," I said, glaring at him and folding my arms. "All of them."

"Nope." For good measure, he snapped another photo.

"Fine then," I said with a smile. "Then you get this."

I walked up to him and gave him a hug, squishing as much of the pancake batter all over his clothes. "There. Now you are captain of the pancake squad as well."

"You are a cruel, cruel woman," Percy muttered. He snapped a few pictures of the two of us making goofy faces while covered in the batter. "There," he turned off the camera, looking satisfied. "Now we can put the pictures in a frame and it is the Christmas present to both of us."

I grinned. "Okay. But only if you let me see them before you do so I can put them in the frame." I took the camera from him. "That way you at least get some sort of present for Christmas. I won't even delete any photos."

He pressed a light kiss to my lips. "You're the present, idiot."

"That was the cheesiest line I've ever heard."

"Yeah," said Percy with a stupid and adorable look on his face, one I was shockingly familiar with, "the idiot part made it romantic though."


End file.
